The most riveting performance of the video series on YouTube is the monologue of performed by Anna Deavere Smith portraying Gavin Cato's father. This is the most riveting scene in the entire show because it shows the seriousness of the event and how the death of Cato has affected the closest person to him that we hear from in the entire show, his father. The scene was particularly interesting due to Smith's performance, the lighting, the background images, the music, and the scenic design. The performance by Smith is simply fantastic. It is important to note her performance due to the diction, accent, and raw emotion that Smith puts into her performance. Carmel, Cato's father, is a real-life individual who was traumatically affected by the death of his own son so it is particularly important for Smith to portray the character realistically. The emotions of the Smith including her extemporaneously breaking into tears help to illustrate the true and raw emotion of the event and add to the scene's impact. Smith's hair and makeup also are truly realistic and add to the dishevelment of the character after his son's death. In addition, the lighting of the scene helps to truly add to the impact of the scene. Smith emerges from a dark stage into a singular spotlight. The singular spotlight on a black stage helps to set Carmel apart from the rest of the stage and really sets him apart as a solitary individual, illustrating his isolation due to his emotions and position as a little emotionally withdrawn from the situation. In addition, the usage of the candles as a light is extremely touching as it mimics a sort of religious ceremony. The pictures in the background of the scene that depict the faces of the individual young children, both and Black and Jewish, help to show the innocence of Cato and the horrific nature of his death. The pictures along with the music create a somber and almost haunting tone that shows the terror and the horror of the incident as contrasted to the faces of the innocent children shown in the photos. Finally, the scenic design of the stage with the basic barren top with a cross, candles, and memorial to Gavin Cato make the image of the cross and the memorial stand out against the otherwise barren landscape. This design helps to show how horrific and singular the event that occurred in Crown Heights was. With the combination of the acting, hair and makeup, lighting, background photos, music, and scenic design all help to make the scene with Gavin Cato's father, Carmel, the most riveting and theatrical scene in the entire show.
The most riveting performance of the video series on YouTube is the monologue of performed by Anna Deavere Smith portraying Gavin Cato's father. This is the most riveting scene in the entire show because it shows the seriousness of the event and how the death of Cato has affected the closest person to him that we hear from in the entire show, his father. The scene was particularly interesting due to Smith's performance, the lighting, the background images, the music, and the scenic design. The performance by Smith is simply fantastic. It is important to note her performance due to the diction, accent, and raw emotion that Smith puts into her performance. Carmel, Cato's father, is a real-life individual who was traumatically affected by the death of his own son so it is particularly important for Smith to portray the character realistically. The emotions of the Smith including her extemporaneously breaking into tears help to illustrate the true and raw emotion of the event and add to the scene's impact. Smith's hair and makeup also are truly realistic and add to the dishevelment of the character after his son's death. In addition, the lighting of the scene helps to truly add to the impact of the scene. Smith emerges from a dark stage into a singular spotlight. The singular spotlight on a black stage helps to set Carmel apart from the rest of the stage and really sets him apart as a solitary individual, illustrating his isolation due to his emotions and position as a little emotionally withdrawn from the situation. In addition, the usage of the candles as a light is extremely touching as it mimics a sort of religious ceremony. The pictures in the background of the scene that depict the faces of the individual young children, both and Black and Jewish, help to show the innocence of Cato and the horrific nature of his death. The pictures along with the music create a somber and almost haunting tone that shows the terror and the horror of the incident as contrasted to the faces of the innocent children shown in the photos. Finally, the scenic design of the stage with the basic barren top with a cross, candles, and memorial to Gavin Cato make the image of the cross and the memorial stand out against the otherwise barren landscape. This design helps to show how horrific and singular the event that occurred in Crown Heights was. With the combination of the acting, hair and makeup, lighting, background photos, music, and scenic design all help to make the scene with Gavin Cato's father, Carmel, the most riveting and theatrical scene in the entire show.